


Come Back Soon

by orphan_account



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 16:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18253346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A shy Soyeon shops at Line Friends every day after work to flirt with Yuqi, a sweet Line employee.Or,Soyeon has to gain the courage to ask the cutest girl she’s ever seen on a date.





	Come Back Soon

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this short au in mind for a long time and I finally got the chance to write and finish it over spring break.

It’s innocent at first, the number of times Soyeon visits the Line store in Itaewon. It’s on her way home from work, a seven-minute walk at most, and she can’t resist the cute displays or the figurines that peek out through the door and windows. But it’s the atmosphere that calms her. She’s a giddy kid again when she’s there, in her own little world, only, her mother isn’t there to reprimand her from running around stores like she did when she was six. She can walk around freely to the walls lined with stuffed Brown plushies, the urge to hold and squeeze them tight igniting something fierce inside her. It’s the place she can forget about her boss’s incessant demands, the place where her growing to-do list vanishes to the back of her mind. 

Often times she doesn’t buy anything from the store, but the cafe draws her in like a moth to a flame. She’s a sucker for sweet lattes.

And sweet girls.

 

She first meets Song Yuqi on a particularly terrible day after work. Her boss, a particularly shrewd man, had gone over her financial plan for their new client's company and pointed out a number of financial weaknesses that had to be corrected. It was tough work and Soyeon was at the top of her game most days, but earlier that day a black cat had walked in front of her, she'd missed her train, and a crow was perched outside the office window. Normally, she wasn't superstitious but right then and there as she stood in front of her boss with her head bowed, she decided she was and she knew she was going to need more than a latte to get her through the rest of the day.

Upon her arrival at the large retail store, she decided she needed the largest Brown plushie she could carry home without getting strange looks. Dozens of identical cute plush faces stared back at her, each as huggable as the next. Most days, it's hard to decide which one she wants to hold, but today isn't like those days. She reaches for the softest Brown plush (in her opinion), the one that looks like it doesn't get a lot of love because it's on the top shelf.

"Do you need help with that?" Soyeon jumps at the smooth husky voice. She twirls around and backs into the abundant Brown display.

Pretty, is the first word that comes to mind, ethereal comes second after she's had enough time to process the girl's angelic beauty. Her big brown puppy-dog eyes look at Soyeon confused, "Were you reaching for that one?"

She wasn't. "Y-yes"

“Puppy-dog eyes” hands her the plushie, their fingers brush. Her hands are soft and a little cold from the air conditioning inside the building. Soyeon holds the Brown doll close, embarrassed by her own stutter and their brief physical contact. "Is there anything else I can help you with? We have a selection of Brown plushies to choose from if you're in the market for one."

She smiles at Soyeon delicately, head leaning to one side to try to catch Soyeon's eye, "I can show you where they are if you'd like." It's a bit embarrassing how fast Soyeon says yes and how quickly she follows her lead.

"Personally, I like the large dolls, they're better to hold when you're scared or nervous. They're pricer but I think they're worth it. Are you--" 

"Yuqi!" Soyeon who'd been eagerly leaning forward, listening to the girl, doesn't get hear the rest of her sentence. “Break's over!" 

"I'm sorry, I have to get back. Think about it, yeah?" Soyeon nods and watches Yuqi disappear behind a set of double doors that reads 'Employees Only.'

She browses around a bit more before deciding on the large Brown doll Yuqi vouched for. It’s only once she’s bought the plush that she spots Yuqi, crouched over, restocking goods at the front of the store near the exit.

Now normally, Soyeon would fly out like a bat out of hell. But she’s having a day full of bad luck, so before she can think on it too much she walks over. “Hi.”

“Ah,” Yuqi stumbles back, startles, “oh, hi!” She smiles back up at Soyeon. “Did you need any help?”

_ Oh, why is she so cute _ _._ “No! I mean, I’m alright. I-I actually took your suggestion and got him… the big Brown plush.” She swings her bag around timidly.

“Cute,” Yuqi says quietly, giving Soyeon a once over before biting her lip, “I think you’ll really like him.”

“Y-yeah. I should go. I’ll let you get back to work.” Soyeon bids her goodbye, and she only stumbles with her words once.

"Come back soon," Yuqi says with a quick bow and a cheerful wave goodbye until Soyeon disappears from the store. She returns her wave with more sheepishness than enthusiasm.

_ Come back soon _ _,_ Soyeon thinks again and again in the quiet of her apartment. 

She does.

 

Now normally, people don’t show up to the Line Friends store in hopes of seeing a pretty girl, but that’s exactly what Soyeon does. It’s embarrassing how easily she caved after work, how the prospect of seeing Yuqi ( _ no, holding the lonely Brown , she insists,  she’s there to snuggle the plush _ ) has put a perk in her step.

She does hesitate at first before she enters the building. She paces around outside in line, wondering what the hell she thinks she’s doing. Then security calls her up along with a group of giddy women. It’s only once she’s inside that she realizes the limited edition Line holiday merchandise came out two days prior. She’d gotten an email about it but hadn’t bothered to check, she’d been too swamped with paperwork.

“Welcome, is there anything I can help you find today,” a beautiful brunette asks Soyeon as she steps into the store. She has a cute birthmark right below her eye, she’s so pretty Soyeon begins to wonder what kind of hiring process Line Friends has.

“I’m… just browsing. For the collection, I collect, collectibles.”  _ She knows _ _,_ Soyeon thinks frantically. 

She doesn’t.

“I see. Let me know if you need any help.” Soyeon nods before scurrying off to the big wall of Browns. 

A couple is taking pictures in front of them, so she takes a quick look around the first floor before moving upstairs. Nothing, or rather no one catches her eye. “Need any help?”

If Soyeon hadn’t known any better she’d of thought Yuqi was a figment of her imagination, but there she stands in front of a large Chimmy figure. “Oh… um, yeah. I was wondering where the… holiday collection was.”

It was to her left. “Ah, I can show you.” Yuqi guides her towards the left.

Soyeon follows closely behind, a bit abashed by her blunder. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?” The way Soyeon sees it, she has two options. Option one, she can say no and save herself the embarrassment of maintaining a conversation. Or option two.

“Key chains. I just really love them, they’re really convenient.”  _And cheap._

Yuqi walks around, Soyeon hot on her heels, towards a large rotating rack with key chains upon key chains. Now she has to choose one, a very tough choice given Yuqi’s attentive gaze. “Do you have any recommendations? On key chains.”

“I- yes. Um, this one!” She points at a Cony key chain. “It’ll go nicely with your Brown plush.”

Somewhere deep within Soyeon’s mind, body, and soul, she screams into the void. Back at the store, she blushes behind her hands and disguises it with a cough. “I think so too.”

“Cute,” Yuqi whispers to herself again. “I have to keep restocking items before my manager notices, but if you need anything else, I’m your girl. I mean… uh, um... bag?”

Yuqi hands her a soft mesh bag for her to place her key chain inside. It’s a bit cliché how their hands brush against each other. Yuqi’s hands are warm this time and she faintly squeezes Soyeon’s hand. “Come back soon.”

The void catches another earful.

 

Soojin, that’s the name of the pretty girl with the birthmark under her eye. And there’s Shuhua and Miyeon too. It’s a testament to how often Soyeon shops at the Line Store that she knows their names and work schedules. (Aside from the large stack of receipts piling up in her bedside drawer, of course.)

It’s become a routine now over the last month. (Yes, a month. 30 days. Over 700,000 won.) Go to work, suffer, make money, visit the Line store, flirt with Yuqi (is it really flirting though?), miss her train, take the next train, rearrange the growing stack of plushies and key chains in her room, and sleep. It’s consumed her life so much, it even follows her in her dreams.

She’ll walk into the store, flirt with Yuqi, and wake up in embarrassment. “I should really do something about it,” she tells Minnie over breakfast on Day 31.

“Do you have any more eggs?” Her best friend scours the refrigerator for more protein. “Oh yeah, you've got a lot more eggs. Can I take some with me?”

“Are you listening to me,” Soyeon asks, draping herself against the marble island in her kitchen. “I’ve spent thousands of won in a month, I can't be giving out free eggs.” The marble feels cool pressed against her cheek, its presence a dull reminder of how very real the situation is.

“A simple no would have been nice.” Minnie returns the eggs with a sigh. “You should just toughen up and ask her out. ‘Til now, you’ve only flirted while she’s working. I’m surprised she hasn’t given up on you sooner.”

“But I can’t,” Soyeon whines, still draped over the counter, “what if she really doesn’t like me, what if she’s nice because, you know, it’s her job.”

Minnie moves around the island, slamming her eco-friendly thermos in front of Soyeon, “Ok look, if you don’t make a move you’ll never know. Remember when you took the wrong train on your first day in Seoul, you were so lucky to have me.”

“That’s different,” Soyeon grumbles, wiping the counter down with her sleeve. “It’s not. The girl at the store is like your apartment, you want it, or her… you get me. You want it so bad, but you’re too scared to ask anyone for help,” Minnie says.

“Asking strangers for directions in the middle of the night on a deserted train is nothing like asking the girl you’ve been flirting with on a date.” 

Minnie squawks. “It is when you always do this. The train, the Samsung account, your detergent.” She walks around the counter again, putting their dishes in the sink to soak. “And you know you do. So suck it up. If I have to hear about how soft her hands are one more time I will personally go down there and make you ask her.” She walks towards the bathroom. “And one more thing, if you have enough money to buy a million keychains and plushies and whatever else you buy when you’re there, you have enough to give me two eggs.”

 

After Minnie sets her straight, she dreads her visit to the Line store. She fiddles around with her keys in line outside, practicing what she’s going to say to Yuqi. She’ll find her, confess, and hope for the best. But really she’s ready for her heart to get its ass kicked.

Her plan fails from the start. She can’t find Yuqi, anywhere. Not on the second floor, or the first, at the cafe. “Yuqi do you have any change?”

Soyeon realizes, with complete and utter mortification, that the blonde is a cashier for the day. She’d planned for a clean escape, a quick getaway, so the both of them could save themselves the humiliation (though, it was more her humiliation).

Today is day 32, so she does the most cliché thing she can think of. She buys 32 things Yuqi has recommended over the past month… again.

“Next,” Soojin says at her cashier. Soyeon is next. Only she doesn’t want to be next, and no one’s behind her so she can’t let anyone cut in front of her. In a panic she yelps “I forgot something” and gets out of line.

She looks back at the registers and makes eye contact with Yuqi, who waves shyly at her. Soyeon is gone. It’s now or never. She walks back to the register, setting the tote bag full of 32 items down for Yuqi to scan, “Hi.”

“Hi! How’s your day been? Any trouble at the office?” Yuqi begins to scan the items and set them aside. Soyeon looks over at Soojin who works more efficiently, bagging as she scans. “It was good, no trouble there today.”

“That’s great. It’s been slow here too. I actually wasn’t supposed to work today.” Soyeon tries not to react, “Why’s that?”

“Miyeon asked me to cover for her. I need the money.” She starts to bag. “And I like seeing you.”

They’re both a shade of baby pink now, Yuqi’s smiling shyly as she waits for the total to load. “Cash or card?”

“I like you. You’re really sweet and you have the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been shopping here every day just to get a glimpse of you. I like talking to you and I always leave wanting to know more about you, so I wanted to know if you’d want to go on a date… with me.” She rambles and stumbles through the entire thing, everything she practiced coming out awkwardly but at the end of her confession, she feels hope.

“I don’t—.” Normally Soyeon would let her continue but a large weight drops from her chest to her stomach. She’s embarrassed, running red from the sides of her neck to the tips of her ears. “Oh god, I have it wrong don’t I. You’re not interested, like at all. It’s okay really, I can shop online from now—.”

“No! I’m interested in you, like really interested in you. I go to work every day because I get to see you, which sounds crazy, I know. People go to work to make money and they hate the hours, but I like spending ten minutes of my shift helping you choose between Van phone cases because I like you too.”

The last time Soyeon’s heart beat this fast was on that train ride on her first day in Seoul. She’d gotten lost but had miraculously made it to her apartment after asking the cute Thai girl sitting next to her for help. (“Looks like we’re neighbors. I’m Minnie.”)

“If you had let me finish you would have known _I don’t _have anything after work today and I wouldn’t mind using my employee discount to pay for our drinks at the café,” Yuqi says.__

____

Soyeon pays for her bag full of items and walks out of the store, a receipt stained with Yuqi’s phone number and lipstick in hand. 

____

_ “Come back soon .” _

____

 

____

 

____

____

Date #???

____

“Hey, how did you get all that money to buy so many things at the store?”

____

“Oh, about that. I’m the youngest CFO in Korea. I’m just really good with numbers.”

____

“You’re a year older than me…”

____

“I am aware.”

____

“Wait… why do you take the train then?”

____

“Saves money.”

____

“You spent thousands of won flirting with me.”

____

“Yes, and it was a great investment.”

____

“S-shut up.”

____

“If you say so.” Soyeon reaches over, cupping Yuqi’s cheek and pulling her in for a soft, sweet kiss.

____

**Author's Note:**

> my own personal cbs headcanon is that soyeon is saving up to start her own company and follow her true passion, music. and it's a nice surprise when she finds out her cute girlfriend yuqi is a lovely singer. and yeah that's it, they live happily ever after cause i'm soft.


End file.
